JAKARTA The ball used when Diego Maradona scored the famous 'Hand God' goal against England at the 1986 World Cup was auctioned off in England with a value of up to 3.7 million euros (Rp 55 billion).
The ball is owned by former Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser. Ali is the referee who led Argentina's quarter-final match against the famous England.
"This ball is part of the history of international football. It feels like the right time to share with the world," Bin Nasser said, quoted by DW.
"I hope the buyer is in a position to display it or share it with the public in other ways," he added.
The ball will be auctioned off at Graham Budd Auctions. The auction institute expects the 36-year-old Adidas Azteca ball to sell for between $2.7 million and $3.3 million when it starts auctioned off in the UK on November 16.
Maradona's 'Hand God' goal was one of the most famous moments of the 1986 World Cup when Argentina successfully advanced to the final and managed to come out as champions.
In that most iconic quarter-final match, Maradona managed to score two goals to help Argentina win 2-1 narrowly. The flight team then beat Belgium in the semifinals and West Germany in the final.
The term 'Hand God' was initiated by Maradona's jokes after the match. He said the goal was scored "a little using Maradona's head and using God's hands a little bit".
Apart from scoring a goal 'God's hand', Maradona also netted a second goal that was no less iconic. His second goal was even chosen as a "gol of this century" by FIFA in a 2002 poll.
Maradona scored Maradona's second goal after dribbled from the middle of the field and passed almost all England's players before checking goalkeeper Peter Prihaton.
It was this match that catapulted Maradona as one of the greatest players in the edition of the World Cup. Maradona has died in 2020 at the age of 60.
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